Fastener forming and inserting machine



J. G. WRIGHT ET AL 2,520,521

FASTENER FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE Aug. 29, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed May 25, 19,45

' 3nventov (Ittorneg Aug. 29, 1950 -J. a. WRIGHT ETAL FASTENERFORMING AND INSERTING mcams 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 25, 1,945

Aug. 29, 1950 J. G. WRIGHT ETAL FASTENER FORMING mumsmmc mama 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 25, 1945 7/ 4;; -wTToRNEY my. 10a.

107. 1 030. 103 1 .Fli 10b I J G WRIGHT ETAL FASTENER FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE Aug. 29, 1950 Flled May 25 1945 Aug. 29, 1950 J. G. WRIGHT ETAL ,5

FASTENER FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE Filed May 25, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 veritot Cittorneg fiatented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE John Wright, Charles D. Tobey, Gliamles A.

Watkins, and Eugene Sudan, Atlanta, (3a., assignors to The Auto-Solar Company, a-oonpor'a.

tion of Georgia Application May 25, 1945, Serial No. seems 2 Claims. (01. 14F439 This invention relates to tastener forming and inserting meonanisms by which fasteners .are rem xed from a. continuous length of wire or the like and inserted in material to be ifasten'ed such as 'the'sbils of shoes.

- While machinery for soling shoes of the type disclosed in U. S. Patents 2,049,240; 2,240,429; and 22315332, 15 8, embodiment of our in- Vntion; it will be aippai nt that :inventionais also well adapted for other applications, such res for Wood working machine/fly amal like.

' An important fe'atur'e of our invention is an improved fastehe-r iormin'g knife assembly which foi ms an imfiiove'd type-of fastener. Bin fastener ""r'ning and inserting machinery =of the kind to which o'u-iinvention is adapted, it is very difficult to attain consistent straight driving :of the liest'en'rs. A relatively 'sharp point is needed onthe fasteners for ready penetration 'of the material to be iostenecl. :sueh a point is most easily obtamed by m tting the continue s length of wire, from which tnejfeste ne'rs are tormea,1diagona11y in the =dis'10s'et1 in the above mentioned "patents. But a. point :fomned in this manner is hecessarflyoffs't fiom the lon'gitudinalnxis of the fastener formed and has e. tendency driving to -d'eflet in the emotion of this offset end time -penetI'-ate the material being fa'stene'd ineffieotively. l -hat is, a iaistener with a, diagonally foimedpoi'nt 'o'f 'thissor t will often wander as it liiters the meterial being tastene'd soithat orooked driving results, ahd this effect is particularly troublesome when relatively hard materials .aife being worked with.

According to the present invention the diagonal point i of the fasteners "formed is displaced by -our iimproved knife assembly to a position substan- .tielly coincident with the longitutiifoal axis of the f fastenels, with *a conse uent marked improverm'en't in the straight dr ivingc'haradteristics of the "rfastener formed.

' This and I other improved features of our invenition are illustrated in the accompanying dr'awrings, in which:

:Fig. 1is aside elevaltionof a fastener forming and inserting machine constructed "according to H311! invention Fig. -2 is -a corresponding frogh-l'enteiry detail view showing the-arran ement *of the operating rod 'and 'lifter arm f or motor drive;

' FigJ-3 is 'ao fragmefitar y 'dtail-in frlit'levaition further illustrating theerrahgemen-t for motor :drive with thecover plate-removed;

6 is =9. rear view :of the lower end :of the operating head};

Fig. 2- is an enlarged View pa'htly in section .of the driver showing the l form of tip employe'da;

8 is ai -section on the :line 1%48 of Fig. 4.;

Fig. -9 is la man view of the :movable z blade member;

Fig. 1 0 is a corresponding view of the stationairy blade-member;

Rig. 10a is :a. fragmentary metail showing i8, modified form of the stationary z-blia'de member;

Fig. 10b is .a corresponding section set the stationafry lblacie imember oriented substantially on the line tDbl l'b'o'f .Fi'g. ma;

Fig. i1 is o isolation substantially on the line H -'l-l I of Rig. {4;

Fig. I2 is @a oonresponding section showing the movable lblacl'e member in .tastener inserting :posi'tion;

Fig-A1211 is a ipanti'el Tvertie'wl section of the op.* stating head showing :a fastener lin @OSifiiOD. for insertion;

Big. 11217 .is .alcom esponding partial wenticaI section of the operating head showing the tastener inserted;

Fig. 13 is a mew iillustrezting the type inf fins.- ten'er fm med by hhe machine of 0111 invention;

'iFig. 14 :is :9, icoi responding side VifiW;

Fig. :15 is la. side view "partly in sect-ion of the iwonkisuppor't assembly;

Ei'g. L16 is ta ifragmentary front elevation of the wofkasupport assembly; and

x11? isea seetion onlthesline cl 1-4:! of :Eig. 15..

our invention comprises generally a fastener forming and .insentingnimeohanism having means sfor iorming aa. pluralityrqf lfasteners .from a 56011-- ztinuous :length of Wire ;and moondinated .means :for inserting :the fasteners ,aformed :to join layers :of material anii the like. The iVaI'iOIlS elements (of :the machine more arranged and coordinotedaso that an entire cycle of fopemtion :is performed arepi'dly and efficientlysbyeasingle ajctuatiomh :an roperator. The :means ;for actuation ;in the pre- ,ferred storm of our invention is :hy :motor driven :means. l

the fastener forming and ninsenting ,machine CDIIStI'MCtEdraQCQYdiQg to $0111 invention shown Rig. :1 comprises. Ga 1 lower Pirame E SeCtiOn 2:5 ghaving ramsheif v2.6 ;-:amfanged its supper qend fiend oanryling an -upper frame-section:2?!i'extendingmprightly above 1 thershelf. Theiuppemiramerseotion -2 wextends forwardly atlits upper end .t o 'wfonm suna port for an operating head 28 and has ;a-;bi'acket attached rearwairdly of 1its=upperqendito r8111 -portra.:reolmountingz3ll r adazpted toiaoeommodate ah reel 'Of iwire tram which :I'asteners ima-ymbe pressing an operating pedal 59.

formed. A work support element 3| is arranged on the shelf 28 in vertical alignment with the operating head 28. An adjustable work guide 32, which may be of the type disclosed in the above mentioned -U. S. Patent 2,315,382, is mounted on the'upper frame section 21 for use in positioning work on the support element 3| in proper relation to the operating head 28.

The upper frame section 21 is formed with upper 33 and lower 34 bearing supports adapted to receive an operating rod 35 for vertical reciprocation. This operating rod 35 extends above the upper frame section 21 to a crosshead 36 which in turn extends forwardly to serve as a mounting for the plunger element of the operating head 28 to be described later.

The operating rod 35 also extends through the lower bearing support 34 in the upper frame section 27 to a connection with the driving means for the machine. In the preferred embodiment of our invention illustrated in Fig. 1, this driving means is a motor driven unit 31, but it will also be apparent that the machine might be easily adapted for manual operation as well. The connection with the motor drive unit 31 comprises a crank bar 38 connected to the operating rod 35 and extending downwardly inside the lower frame section 25 to a point of attachment with the motor drive unit 37. The crank bar 38 also supports a connecting rod 39 running to a lifter arm 48 which actuates the work support element 3| in a manner to be described more in detail below. A bracket 4| is mounted on the crank bar 38 to support the crank rod 39 and to act as an upper limit for a compression spring 42 which is carried on the lower end of connecting rod 39 and which serves the dual purpose of a point of adjustment for the pressure applied through the lifter arm 49 and a means for stopping the crank bar 38 in proper position after completion of a stroke.

The'motor drive unit 3'! (seeFigs. 2 and 3) comprises an electric motor 43- mounted on a bracket 44 secured to the lower frame section 25, and controlled through a suitable electric circuit (not shown) from a switch box 26a accessibly arranged on the under side of shelf 28. The shaft 45 of the motor 43 extends upwardly and is inclined at an angle sufficiently off of vertical to position a worm 46 carried on the shaft 45 in driving engagement with a worm wheel 41 arranged on a crank shaft 48 disposed horizontally above the motor 43 and supported in bearings 49 and 58 provided in the bracket 44. The

worm wheel 41 ismounted on the shaft 48 in association with a driving clutch member I, both the worm wheel 47 and clutch member 51' being arranged to rotate freely on the crank shaft 48. A second driven clutch member 52 is fixed clutch pin 53 to engagement with the driving clutch member 5|. in retracted position by a retaining lever 51 The clutch pin- 53 is retained pivoted as at 58 (see Fig. 3) on bracket 44, which may be tripped to release the clutch pin 53 by de- The pedal 59 is pivotably mounted at the bottom of the lower frame section 25 and extends conveniently in front of the machine. A rod member 60 connects the lever 51 for tripping by the pedal 59, the lever 57 being normally held in retaining position by a tension spring 6| extended, from a bracket 52 arranged on the motor bracket 44.

When the clutch pin 53 is released to engage the driving clutch member 5|, the rotation of the motor 43 is transmitted through the worm 46, worm wheel 47, and driving and driven clutch member 5| and 52 to the crank shaft 48, and in turn to a crank plate 63 mounted on the front end of crank shaft 48 and fitted with an eccentrically disposed crank pin 64. A clevis assembly 64a.fits on this crank pin 64 to receive the upper end of the previously mentioned crank bar 38 so that rotation of the crank shaft 48 causes reciprocation of the operating rod 35 for actuation of the operating head 28.

The operating hear 28 comprises a wire feed mechanism and a fastener forming knife assembly coordinated with a plunger member 55 adapted for driving the fasteners formed. The various elements of the operating head 28 are assembled on an operating head block '66 which is mounted on the previously mentioned forwardly portion of the upper frame section 21 and has appropriate grooves and recesses arranged to accommodate these elements. Side plates 61, a top plate 68, and a cover plate 39 are secured to the head block 86 to enclose the operating head 28.

The wire feed mechanism includes a feed block 19 slidably received by the operating head block 86 (se Figs. 4 and 8) and provided with a feeder blade H which is yieldingly pressed around a pivot point 12 by a spring 13 to engage the wire 14 supplied from the reel mounting 30. The feed block Hi extends rearwardly through an opening in the operating head block 66 for association with a cam member 15 which is pivoted on the upper frame section 2! and is depressed during each stroke of the operating rod 35 by a projection 18 extending downwardly from the cross head 35. A spring 1"! is arranged on the under side of the rearwardly extending portion of the feed block 19 to hold it yieldingly in raised position. A fixed block 78 is arranged verticall above the feed block 10 and is provided with a retaining blade 19 similar to the feeder blade II and is similarly arranged with a spring 88 pressing it into engagement with the wire 14 around a pivot 8|. The retaining blade '19 ailows the wire 14 to be fed downwardly but prevents withdrawal unless it is moved out of engagement with the wire.

During operation of the machine, the wire feed block 18 is depressed by the above described arrangement of cam 15 and projection 16 upon each stroke of the operating rod 35. As the feed block 70 is depressed, the feeder blade 1| grips the wire 74 and feeds it downwardly to an extent corresponding to the downward travel of the feeder block. The extent of this travel, which, as will appear more clearly below, stablishes the length of fastener formed, is variable by virtue of an adjusting mechanism arranged on the operating head 28. This adjusting mechanism consists of a positioning stem 82 resiliently mounted in the top plate 68 and extending downwardly to a point of contact with the rear extension of the wire feed block 70. The stem 82 acts as an upper limit determining the raised position of the feed block 18 and thus regulates the extent of downward travel of, and the consequent amountof wire 14 fed by, the feed block 70. The stem 82 is adjustable to the raised position of. the reed block n particular tastener lengths as indicated on adial- 33 associated with a lever as provided for manipuiatin'g the cam 83. The upper end of the stern 82 has a conical form, the slopingsides of which include an angle slightly less suitably 2 less) than the angle included between the faces of the notches 84. arrangement assures proper seating of the upper endof' the s'tcmBZ, may have a slightl rounded 'tip, in thenotchcs It.

The fastener forming imife assembly comprises a stationary blad member tl secured at-the lower end o'l'the operating headiblock 56, and a matched movable blade member 83 having a stud projection 89 fitting :a corresponding aperture '90 in lthe stationary blade member 81 as a pivot for movable blade member It. stud projection extends through the apel tu-re 9'0 and a similar opening 91 the head block $5 to receive :a. washer 92 and addusting jam nuts 93., or similar fastening means, on a threaded portion '54. The threaded portion 94 is termed with :a flat surface 95 :(see Fig. 6 and the Washer 19! is ilttecl to the contour of this fiat surface so that it turns as the stud projection 89 turns with pivoting :of the movable blade :u and thus prevents this pivoting from varying the adjustment of jam nuts =33. "Bl-removable blade member 88 has a working surface portion l6 fonncd with a conical -'confieuration, and the stationary blade member 8:1 has s. lcorrcsponding recessed portion 91. A passageway amie formed in tiate-movable blademember a lwhi'ch is adapted to receive and position the wire H rer-fastener forming and fastener inserting operations. passageway 88 "is arranged perpendicularly in diametric relation with respectto thestud pnojec'tio'n 8B and is disposed to interseot the workingsurraceportion96m? the movable blade mem be! 88 par tial-ly "so that it ext'ends at its reoiving end as "aslot 98, one :edge IG?! o! 21s adapted-as a shearing edge. Supplementary 58110158 {M and id-2 are formed in the wnrking surmoe portion '"91 f the stationary blade mem'bercfl'l tor registry with "the slot 99 in the movable blademember 88 in fastener forming and fastener inserting positions, respeotively, and the l supploe m'enta-r-y slot 1m in fastenr forming position *is also *arranged with a shearing edge 4 03 which :is describedmore-"in detail below. 7

' I he wire T4 isfed to the lniiie assembi zbyithe above described "wire fced' mechanism through la guide tube li'fi i which leads the "wire ill linto the passage in 'the knife assembly iormed in -Tastener forming position by the passageway '98 amilslot E5- in the movable blade Imem'bcr B8 andiithc =supplementaryslot em I rin'atheastationary blade member '81. when the movable tblade member 88 is pivoted about its stud projection 83, la slength act the "wire I4 is severed by the :shearing Ledges H10 and ii 03 providedon the blade members, :and this length .of wire is carried =in. the.pasageway '98 in the movable blade member "88 .to fastcnerlmscrt- 1 8 position, Lin. which position 'ithe. passageway 58 and extending slot 99 are aligned witntne I driving with diagonally pointed fasteners.

supplementary slot M2 to receive a driver Hi5 carried by th plunger member 65.

Theplunger member 651s mounted on thecross head 36 to extend downwardly through the operating head block 66, andis arranged at its lower end to carry the driver 1:05 which is adapted to pass through the knife assembly in fastener in sorting position and drive the fastener formedby the knife assembly. The plunger member '55 and knife assembly are coordinated by a cam arrangement which consists of a cam block I DS' secured at the lower end of the plunger member 65, an upwardly extending cam arm 11)] on the movable blade member 88., and a trigger-like cam :element I08, pivoted on the head block 266', as at 109, in association with the cam block 1 08 and cam arm I 01.

On a downward stroke of the operating rod 35,. the crossh'ead 36 is depressed so that :the plunger member and the projection 15 asso ciated with the wire feed cam 15 travel downwardly simultaneously. At the beginning of the stroke, the wire feed cam 15 is actuated to-move the "feeder block downwardly so as to feed a length of wire to the knife assembly. With continued downward motion the wire teed cam 15 reaches the position shown in dotted lines" in Fig. B sothat the crosshead projection 76 runs off of the cam surface and the wire feed i -stopped. .As this occurs, the cam block 1116 on the plunger member 65 contacts the upstanding cam arm l-fll on the movable blade member 88 and pivots this blade member so that a fastener is formed and moved into fastener inserting position. Continued downward movement then causes the driver N15 to penetrate the previously described passage formed in the knife assembly, and drive the '-fastenor formed.

(As-this operation is completed and the operat ing rod 35 starts its upward stroke, the triggerlike :c'am element I08 :is contacted by cana -block H16 as upward travel of the plunger member t5 continues so that cam element $08 is caused to" piuot ancl'ithus return the movable blade member 88 through action on cam arm 101 to fastener forming position. A stop 1 09 is provided for 'the movable blade 88 in fastener forming position. During upward travel-of plunger mem' ber "65, thewine zteed ibl'ock 10 and associated cam element'- li ase raised to initial position by spring 11.

fllhetype of :fastener H0 formed and driven 'irr the operations just described is illustrated l-n Figs. .lB- and 14. From the foregoing description it will :be appreciated that the fasteners I I0 are formed by putting the continuous lengthof wire I4 at intervals corresponding to the length "of fastener 'Illzfl desired, and that the wire 14 is out diagonally byvirtueof the conical configuration of working-surface portions 96 and =91 of the blade :members :8:8 and .81, respectively.

fBhe diagonalzmanner in which the wire 74 out is designed to;f0rm1the fasteners H 0 with pointed ends so that they may be driven'readily, and it has heretofore been thought that case of driving "bore a direct rrlation to the sharpness of the -.'diagonally formed "point. As heretofore mentioned, "however, considerable difilculty has been encounteredin obtaining consistent straight We have found that this difficulty is obviated by-displacing "or "transferring-the diagonal 'point H 'l on the "leading end of the fastener H'fl to a position Displacement of the point III this manner is accomplished by our improvedknife assembly during the fastener forming, operation. In particular, the displacementis effected by forming the shearing edge I03 on the supplementary slot IOI of the stationary blade member 81 arcuately (see Fig. on a radius perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the slot IOI. This form of shearing edge I03 appears to exert a pull on the leading diagonal point formed as the wire I4. is cut sumcient to cause the desired displacement. For a knife assembly adapted for use with 19 gauge wire, we have found that a forming radius for the shearing edge I03 of 0.710 inch gives very satisfactory results, although this radius may have to be adjusted for different sizes of wire where the material to be fastened is of a special character.

The fastener point forming action of the shearing edge I03 may also be adjusted for varying conditions, without changing the radius of its arcuate form, by laying it over with a negative cutting angle as indicated at I03a. in Figs.-10a and 10b. Thatis, by forming the shearing edge I03 so that it is not a true shearing or cutting edge but is adapted to sever the wire I4 with a squeezing action. The characteristic form of the fastener point I I I illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14 is emphasized by an arrangement of the shearing edge I63 in this manner. v

The material to be fastened is supported in alignment with the operating head 28 by the Work support element 3I. In machinery for soling shoes this work support element 3| conveniently comprises a vertically movable horn H2 having a shank H3 adapted to be slidingly received by a mounting arranged on the shelf 26. The mounting for the work support element 3| consists of a vertically disposed fixed sleeve H4 fastened to and extending through an opening in the shelf 26 and a vertically movable sleeve H5 rotatably and slidably mounted in and ex-. tending through the fixed sleeve H4.

An important feature of the work support element 3I of the present invention is the arrange-, ment of the horn shank ,II3 to provide a full. bearing surface in the movable sleeve H5 when the horn H2 is in fully raised position as shown in Fig. 14. For this purpose, the elements for subjecting horn H2 to the necessary upward pressure during fastener forming operations are adapted, as described more in detail below, to accommodate a horn shank H3 of sufficient length so that a portion of the shank I I3 is always disposed throughout the entire extent of movable'sleeve H5, thus obtaining the above mentioned full bearing support and providing maxi mum support for horn H2 in a raised'position. This arrangement supports the horn I I2 securely so that it does not shift during fastener inserting operations and inthis manner has an important bearing upon the satisfactory operation of the machine.

" The movable sleeve H5 is formed with an en-. larged collar portion H6 at its upper end which limits its downward movement in the fixed sleeve H4. Upward movement of the movable sleeve H5 is yieldably resisted by a spring II'I mounted around the fixed sleeve II 4 between shoulders formed by the bottom of shelf 26 and a washer H6 fitted on the lower extending portion of the movable sleeve H5 and held in place by spring wire H9 arranged in a circumferential groove in movable sleeve H5 and a corresponding recess formed in the underside of washer I I8. The horn H2 of the work support element 3I is vertically adjustable by virtue of the sliding engagementof shank H3 in movable sleeve H5. The horn: H2 may be secured in an adjusted vertical or raised position by means of any insert I20 mount-.

e'do'n hornshank I I3 having ratchet teeth formed therein which cooperate with a pawl lever I2 I pivoted onthe movable sleeve H5 according to the arrangement disclosed in U. S. Patent 2,240,429, to hold the horn I I2 releasably in a desired raised position. The insert I20 and pawl lever I2I are arranged so that the horn I I2 may; be released for downward adjustment by tripping the pawl lever IZI without causing any appreciable upward movement of the horn.

A further feature of the work support element 3| of thisinvention is a braking arrangement adapted to cushion the downward movement of horn H2 when the pawl lever MI is tripped to move the horn II2 to lowered position, This arrangement comprises a plug I24 formed of brass or other suitable material adjustably mounted in the movable sleeve II5 by a spring I25 and set screw I26. By adjustment of the set screw I26 pressure may be exerted through the spring I25 on plug I 24 to regulate the rate of the descent of horn I I2 so that it operates smoothly.

Infully raised position the horn H2 is spaced in close vertical relation with the operating head 28 to position work for fastener inserting operations. The tip of the horn I I2 is fitted with a clinching tip I22 formed with concentric grooves as indicated in Fig. 15 (compare Figs. 12a and'12b). The previously mentioned driver I05 is also formed with a concave tip as illustrated in Fig.- 7. The configuration of the tip of driver I05 centers the driving end I23 of fastener H0 during the fastener inserting operation and also. tends to form a head on the driven fastener. The driving end I23 has a reversely curved formwith respect to the leading point III (see Figs. 13 and 14), which is formed as a complementary result of the manner in which leading point III is formed. The concentric grooves on the clinching tip I22 of horn H2 clinch the leading point III' of fastener I I0 as it penetrates the material being joined, and thus dispose the fastener point II I in secure fastening position.

The driving depth of driver I05 may be adjusted to obtain countersinking effects if desired; This adjustment is accomplished by setting an adjusting lever I21 associated with the mounting of plunger member 65 on crosshead 36. The, crosshead 36 is formed at its forward end with a threaded opening adapted to receive a threaded portion I28 arranged integrally with the adjust ing lever I21. The crosshead 36 is also split at its forwardend as illustrated in Fig. 4 and provided with a screw adjustment I29 allowing the threaded portion I28 to be frictionally gripped in the crosshead 26 to prevent shifting of the adjusting lever IZ'I after it has been set, but leaving lever I21 free at all times for adjusting the driving depth of driver I05. Plunger member 65 is formed with a cylindrical upper portion adapted to extend through the threaded portion I28 and body of lever I21, and terminating. in an extending threaded portion of reduced diameter fitted with a nut I30. When adjusted to raise driver' I05, the body of lever I2! is raised by -virtue of its threadedengagement with crosshead 26 and thus bears upwardly against nut I30 to raise the entire assembly of plunger member 65. Adjustment of lever I21 in the other direction to lowerdriver I05 causes the lower end of threaded portion I28 to bear downward on the shoulder formed at the lower end of the cylindrical portion of plunger member 65, which may be enlarged through the use of a washer as at I 3I in Fig. 4. This adjustable mounting of plunger member 65 allows the driving depth of driver I05 to be readily adjusted in relation to work support element 31 for the degree of countersinking desired.

During fastener inserting operations the horn I I2 is subjected to upward pressure simultaneously with downward travel of the plunger member 65 so that the work being fastened is pressed tightly between the clinching tip I22 on the horn I I2 and the knife assembly forming the lower extending portion of the operating head 28 in which the driver I05 operates to insert the fasteners H9. This upward pressure on the horn H2 is exerted through the previously mentioned lifter arm 49 which is fulcrumed on a bracket I32 mounted on the lower frame section and connected as previously described with the operating rod 35. During a downward stroke of the operating rod the lifter arm accordingly pivots about its fulcrum point on bracket I32 to exert upward pressure on the horn H2. The arrangement of the lifter arm 49 for thus actuating the horn IIZ consists of a floating washer I33 arranged as illustrated in Fig. 15 to fit the lower tapered end of movable sleeve I I5 and form a bearing surface for rollers I34 carried by bifurcated arms I35 on the lifter arm 40. This arrangement provides clearance for the horn shank II3 when the horn H2 is moved to a fully lowered position and also allows rotation of the movable sleeve II5 for horizontal adjustment of the disposition of born I I2.

We claim:

1. A fastener forming knife assembly comprising a stationary blade member and a matched movable blade member assembled with said stationary blade member for pivotin movement with respect thereto, said movable blade member having a working surface portion formed with a conical configuration and said stationary blade member having a complementary recessed working surface portion, said working surface portions being arranged in concentric relation to the pivot axis of said blade members, and means adapting said blade members to receive and position wire for fastener forming and fastener inserting operations, said means including a radial slot in said movable blade member and a slot in said stationary blade member in fastener forming position cooperating with said radial slot in the movable blade member to out said wire diagonally at said conical working surface portions to form a fastener point, and said slot being disposed in generally radial relation with respect to the pivot axis of said blade members but having an arcuate longitudinal axis whereby it presents a curved shearing edge adapted to effect displacement of the point on fasteners formed by said knife assembly to a position substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of the fasteners.

2. A fastener forming knife assembly of the type adapted for use in fastener forming and inserting mechanisms, said knife assembly comprising a stationary blade member and a matched movable blade member assembled with said stationary blade member for pivoting movement with respect thereto between fastener forming and fastener inserting positions, said movable blade member having a working surface portion formed with a conical configuration and said stationary blade member having a complementary recessed WOIkil'lg surface portion, said working surface portions being arranged in concentric relation to the pivot axis of said blade members, and means adapting said blade members to receive and position wire for fastener forming and fastener inserting operations, said means including a radial slot in said movable blade member and a slot in said stationary blade member in fastener forming position cooperating with said radial slot in the movable blade member to out said wire diagonally at said conical Working surface portions to form a fastener point, and said slot being disposed in generally radial relation with respect to the pivot axis of said blade members but having an arcuate longitudinal axis whereby it presents a curved shearing edge adapted to effect displacement of the point on fasteners formed by said knife assembly to a position substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of the fasteners.

JOHN G. WRIGHT. CHARLES D. TONEY. CHARLES A. WATKINS. EUGENE SUDAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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